Why do states have varying laws regarding embryonic stem cell research?
Individual states have the authority to pass laws on stem cell research. In an effort to move stem cell research forward during the years when federal funding was restricted, a number of states, including California, Maryland, New Jersey and Connecticut, passed laws that encouraged scientists to pursue embryonic stem cell research in those states by providing state money. Other states, like Michigan and Missouri, have passed laws or constitutional amendments specifically legalizing the research but have stopped short of funding it. In contrast, a few other states like South Dakota and Louisiana have passed laws that make it illegal to derive human embryonic stem cell lines by destroying embryos or to perform nuclear transfer in human eggs. These states make it illegal to perform research that is legal under federal law.
